As we read through the Gospels together, we’ll find instances where the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John don’t agree. One such instance is when the Last Supper occurred. Matthew, Mark, and Luke say it occurred at the start of Passover. John, however, states that it happened before Passover. This is actually significant as the holiday of Passover was/is a very big deal.

Professor Colin Humphreys from the University of Cambridge thinks that the discrepancy was caused by two different calendars. Humphreys believes that Jesus was using an old Jewish calendar (and thus Matthew, Mark, and Luke), while John was using the new (at the time) lunar calendar.

“This would put the Passover meal — and the Last Supper — on the Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion. It would follow that Jesus’ arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period. Humphreys believes a date could therefore be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.”

Tags: Colin Humphreys, Easter, Last Supper, Passover